Commanding China

Share.

By Ivan Sulic

Units. They are indeed one of the most important parts of Command & Conquer Generals. Sure, you have things like shadows, the moving train, the way that one building crumbles, and then there's always the authenticity of some of the trees, but without the units, this game could quite possibly not be that great. I'm going out on a limb here, but I'll say that the units are what make Generals, Generals.

With their importance outlined in that brief blurb of text above we scientifically refer to as "the filler," we'll be bringing you a few new features detailing these units of the game. Since we're cool, we've been able to thoroughly play with them for some time now. It beats the hell out of setting up GI Joes on that specially ordered aircraft carrier your brother bought, let me tell you.

I'll mention that this is an RTS, but that's as far as I'm going to go. For any further information you're going to have to hit up either our earlier singleplayer-centric preview or our more recent multiplayer hands-on, complete with videos. Those are both lengthy accounts of the game that describe other things aside from units. Fools, they actually thought there was more to it.

Since cramming descriptions of every single unit in the entire game into one article is a long and tedious process that you'll likely not want to read through at one sitting, we'll break this down by faction. Steve will be doing the USA (you can guess what that stands for), Dan will be doing the GLA (you can also kind of guess what that stands for if you know Dan), and I'll be doing the units of China since I have a Russian sounding name and am the closest thing to an oppressive dictating jerk that likes heavy weapons this office has. The assignments all make sense.

China: "Hardly the rigid, out-of-touch communist behemoth of yesteryear, the new China is a sleek bullet train, yet as brash and bullish as MTV. The ruling elite is no longer a bunch of suited grayhairs; rather, a slick, national-minded digerati with a military arm that heavy-handedly amasses hordes of manpower. But its versatility as a culture is little match for its latest foe -- a resourceful complex of political terror cells that refuses to disappear despite the Chinese military's best efforts.

If this new China is to maintain its position of global economic dominance, the Global Liberation Army must be snuffed out for good." (Kill Dan.)

Units: "You can repair a unit by sending it back to the structure it was created at. Infantry can be repaired by sending them back to the barracks and vehicles can be repaired by sending them back to the war factory.

Structures are repaired by the unit that created it. China uses the construction dozer for repairs. Click the dozer and place the mouse cursor over the structure you wish to repair. The cursor will display a repair icon. Click on the structure to begin the repair process."

Battlemaster:

The Battlemaster is the backbone of the Chinese army. It's that large, powerful, but still affordable tank that can be built by the boatload and sent out to eliminate any and all comers. But watch out, for as tough as it is in numbers and against tanks or buildings, the Battlemaster is a moving target with little defense when it comes to infantry and aircraft.

Sometimes a lion with a big bite and sometimes a baby kitten with a gentle meow, groups of Battlemasters are best used against inexperienced foes who don't know the value of rocket infantry or even how to capitalize on air superiority. Better yet, stick 'em in front of more valuable armor or as a diversion to let a Black Lotus sneak around back and you've got a killer, if dead force to be reckoned with.

Cost:800

Requirements:War Factory

Special:None

Black Lotus:

The Black Lotus is the Chinese commando. Tough, durable, and capable of inflicting inordinate amounts of damage on the opposition, she is the one the great and prosperous China sends in to steal money from enemy supply centers, disable enemy vehicles, or even capture enemy buildings.

Permanently camouflaged, Black Lotus is the perfect stealth unit that should never, ever meet an enemy scout, who will promptly gun her down in cold blood.